


Swimmer

by Salamandair



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Ambiguous Relationship, Based in Series 2, Dialogue-Only, Gen, M/M, One Word Prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-16
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-15 23:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1323259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salamandair/pseuds/Salamandair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock doesn't quite know how to handle Holidays. Or Near-death Experiences, for that matter.</p>
<p>The one word prompt was 'Swimmer.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Swimmer

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in class while skillfully not paying attention.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, the-science-of-induction. You're a treasure.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters belong to Arthur Conan Doyle and the BBC

“The _beach?_ We have a case, John! We don’t have time for the beach.”

“No, you’re not taking the case. We’re on holiday, remember? After you overworked yourself and became ill? _Violently_ ill?”

“Oh, please. Vomiting one time doesn’t-“

“Vomiting _one time?_ Sherlock, it was much more than that. You could hardly move from your bed, you had a high fever, and I had to drag you to the bloody A &E after you vomited blood twice on the carpet, and all of that seemed to be your idea of _a normal illness!”_

“…”

“…”

“…”

“The doctor recommended relaxation.”

“Which I could’ve easily acquired back at-“

“-away from all forms of work, Sherlock. That means no staying in the flat or even in London, for that matter.”

“So, instead, you force me on this ridiculous journey to the coast in an attempt to ‘relax me’, as you claim, and then confine me to this forsaken hotel where I have remained bored out of my skull since our arrival and just when I find a remotely interesting case involving a missing swimmer-“

“-who turned up alive and claiming that he was drowned by mermaids.”

“Sirens, John. “

“They’re the same bloody thing!”

“…Hardly. Research the mythology more carefully. There’s a distinct difference between the two.”

“Says the man who hates fairytales in the first place!”

“The research for that was originally for-“

“Sherlock, do you even realize how close you came to dying less than a week ago?”

“…I felt as if I was, yes.”

“ _No_ , Sherlock. No, actually died. As in, _really_ dead.”

“…”

“You couldn’t have been more than an hour from dying before I took you in there. You lost so much blood that your body was barely _functioning_. They had you on four different machines to keep your body from shutting down! If you had lost any more blood at all…Jesus…” 

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“I can’t lose you again, Sherlock. Not after…Not again.”

“…”

“Christ…Fucking..”

“…”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I…I, erm, failed to realize how much the situation terrified you, John. You remained…very strong during my illness. I did not have the ability or energy at the time to judge your emotions, and I…I admit that I have not judged them since. I stupidly assumed that the event had not bothered you.” 

“Yeah, well…someone had to be strong. Everyone was terrified for you.”

“I am… _grateful_ that you remained at my side the entire time. It was…”

“Unexpected?”

“…”

“Where else did you think I would be?”

“I…”

“…”

“The level of attention you devoted to me, even after my admission to the hospital, was simply surprising, that’s all. I’ve never…”

“…”

“…I’ve never had someone care for me that way…”

“…”

“..So, yes. Thank you, John, for…your care and companionship.”

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s…not a problem.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…If you still wish to go to this beach, I suppose I will suffer through it for you.”

“Change your mind about the case, then?”

“No. While I won’t work the case at this moment, I still would like to do some research on the details.”

“As long as you don’t go swimming. You still can’t walk quite right.”

“…I resent that statement. I can walk quite well. And no, I won’t go _swimming_. Not in coastal waters. Do people even realize that there are multiple pollutants in the ocean? There is Fish waste, Human waste, Human pollution, and Oil! Not to mention the multiple types of bacteria.”

“Not exactly a good way to start off our holiday, Sherlock.”

“Hmph.”

“But never mind. Now get changed, will you? A suit isn’t proper beach attire.”


End file.
